Medical Use of Botox

Apart from the aesthetic effects of botox which we are all familiar about, Botox is approved medically to treat several medical conditions.

Botox is a drug that is made from neurotoxin produced by a type of bacteria called Clostridium botulinum.

When injected in small concentrations, botulinum toxin works by preventing signals from nerve cells from reaching the muscles, resulting in failure for the muscle to contract and paralysis.

Hence apart from it being famous in ironing out wrinkles and lines in our faces, botox can be useful for a variety of medical conditions. Some of the procedures include:

Excessive sweating (Hyperhidrosis)

Having trouble with excessive sweaty underarms?

Botox can be injected to control excessive sweating by inhibiting the signals to the sweat glands and hence, sweat production.

Studies showed 94% of patients who were given botox injections at the axilla responded to treatment with at least 80-90-% reduction in sweat production. On average, the effect of botox can last for 7-12 months. Botox can also be given for excessive sweaty palms.

Pain medications such as anti-inflammatories can cause many side effects especially with chronic usage. Botox can be used alleviate TMJ disorders or jaw pain which can be very debilitating. When injected directly into the chewing muscles, this relieves the tension and pain for many patients. In addition, these injections often eliminate the headaches related to teeth grinding.

Chronic Severe Migraine

In some severe cases of migraine, botox injection is an effective alternative for those who do not respond to regular analgesia. Botox is indicated for cases where patient experiences more than 15 episodes of headache per month, each lasting more than 4 months and associated with nausea and sensitivity to light.

Repeated injections at 4-6 months interval is recommended to prevent recurrence of migraine.

Will it be painful?

Before botox injection, numbing cream or ice packs are applied onto skin for about 20-30 minutes to ease the discomfort. It is common to develop some redness, swelling or even slight bruise over injection site.

Our doctors are also well trained for cosmetic botox as well as dermal fillers.